1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to wireless telecommunications. More particularly, it relates to short message services (SMS) to mobile devices.
2. Background of Related Art
Wireless service providers furnish subscribers with a multitude of wireless capabilities in return for compensation of services bestowed. Wireless service plans conventionally fall in to one of two categories: postpaid wireless or prepaid wireless.
In a postpaid wireless plan, a user enters into a long-term billing arrangement, i.e., a contractual agreement, with a particular service provider. Wireless service providers conventionally charge subscribers on a monthly basis for services consumed throughout the previous month. A consumer is billed for wireless usage according to terms articulated in a predefined wireless contract, in addition to any supplementary charges acquired in extra service fees, e.g., fees for services exceeding those offered in a wireless plan, international/long-distance fees, etc.
Alternatively, in a prepaid wireless plan, a subscriber purchases credit prior to service consumption. Purchased credit is then used to pay for wireless services as services are expended, i.e., Pay-As-You-Go. If a subscriber's prepaid wireless account no longer contains available credit, the subscriber is denied access to wireless services. The available balance in a prepaid wireless account may be queried by an affiliated service provider at any given time. Additionally, the amount of credit in a prepaid wireless account may be replenished at any given time via one of a multitude of payment mechanisms, e.g., a credit card interface, an SMS message, an Internet application, etc.
Prepaid wireless solutions enable a wireless service provider to accommodate individuals who are unable/unwilling to commit to a long-term service contract. In fact, fewer contractual obligations and minimal preliminary requirements have led to an enormous growth in prepaid wireless subscription.
Another wireless topology that continues to grow in popularity is the Short Message Service (SMS). The Short Message Service (SMS) is currently the most widely utilized data application in the world.
Short Message Service (SMS) enables bidirectional transmission of short alpha-numeric messages to and from a Short Message Entity (SME), i.e., a device or system capable of sending and receiving short messages.
A Short Message Service Center (SMSC) is an essential element in an SMS network. In operation, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) is the first recipient of an SMS message en route from an originating device to a destination device.
A Home Location Register (HLR) in an SMS network encompasses a central database comprised of SMS subscriber information. The Short Message Service Center (SMSC) queries the Home Location Register (HLR) to determine which network is currently serving a mobile device. The Short Message Service Center (SMSC) uses routing information supplied by the Home Location Register (HLR) to successfully route a transmitted SMS message to an intended destination device.
In light of a surge of interest in the prepaid wireless scheme, many wireless carriers are beginning to offer prepaid wireless as an additional source of revenue. Though, prepaid messaging solutions still encompass a rather complex and often incomplete billing system.
Existing prepaid SMS solutions comprise a post-delivery prepaid SMS solution, a pre-delivery prepaid SMS solution, and a Reserve and Debit prepaid SMS solution.
The post-delivery prepaid SMS solution tariffs a short message following message transmission. In particular, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) bills a subscriber for message delivery by transmitting a post-delivery debit query to a prepaid server. The debit query is transmitted to the prepaid server upon receipt of an SMS message on the destination subscriber's mobile device.
Unfortunately, querying the prepaid server following message delivery enables a message to be delivered for free, in the event that an SMS message is delivered to a prepaid subscriber with an insufficient account balance. The post-delivery prepaid SMS solution does not maintain any means of preventing an SMS message from being delivered based on a destination subscriber's lack of account credit. Hence, regardless of the balance in a destination subscriber's prepaid account, the subscriber's mobile device continues to receive SMS messages. Free message delivery ultimately results in a loss of profit for participating wireless service providers.
The pre-delivery prepaid SMS solution tariffs a short message prior to message delivery. In particular, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) bills a prepaid account for message delivery by transmitting a pre-delivery debit query to a prepaid server. The debit query is sent to the prepaid server before a transmitted SMS message is delivered. If the debit query indicates that a destination subscriber's prepaid account does not contain adequate funds, the message is not delivered. Thus, the pre-delivery prepaid SMS solution prevents an SMS message from being delivered free of cost.
Unfortunately, the pre-delivery prepaid SMS solution is incapable of attaining billing information ordinarily discovered throughout the message delivery process. In particular, the individual network that is serving a destination device is not discovered until the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) queries the Home Location Register (HLR) for subscriber information. A Home Location Register (HLR) query, for instance, may identify a destination device as an international roamer, which conventionally attributes to additional message delivery fees. Yet, the debit query takes place prior to the Home Location Register (HLR) query in the pre-delivery prepaid SMS solution. As a result, the prepaid server is not notified, e.g., that a subscriber is internationally roaming, and additional roaming fees are left unaccounted for. While this may be advantageous to the subscriber, the wireless carrier service does not recover costs with respect, e.g., to messages transmitted to and from internationally roaming devices.
A Reserve and Debit SMS solution reserves a base fee prior to SMS delivery, but does not bill a subscriber until message delivery has concluded. In particular, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) receives a transmitted SMS message and detects that the destination address designated in the received message corresponds to a prepaid wireless account. The Short Message Service Center (SMSC) subsequently sends a Reserve query to a prepaid server to reserve funds for conventional message delivery in the destination subscriber's prepaid account. The SMS message is then routinely delivered to the destination device. Following message delivery, the Short Message Service Center (SMSC) bills the destination subscriber's account by transmitting a post-delivery debit query to the prepaid server.
Complete billing is attainable in the Reserve and Debit SMS solution. The Reserve query assures that the amount of credit in a subscriber's account is at least enough to cover the base message delivery fee. Thus, messages are prevented from being delivered free of cost. Additionally, the post-delivery debit query transmitted to the prepaid server, assures that any additional fees discovered throughout message delivery are billed to the subscriber's account.
Unfortunately, complete billing is attainable in a Reserve and Debit SMS solution, but not always guaranteed. The possibility remains that a subscriber may have sufficient account credit to cover the basic message delivery fee reserved prior to message delivery. Though, a subscriber's prepaid account may not contain the funds required to cover additional fees discovered throughout message delivery. Thus, the Reserve and Debit SMS solution may result in unpaid additional service fees, e.g., roaming fees, international fees, etc. Additionally, the Reserve and Debit SMS solution is not widely supported.
It is apparent that wireless service providers are experiencing revenue leaks due to the incompetency of existing prepaid messaging solutions.
In an attempt to minimize the amount of revenue lost, certain wireless providers limit the scope of services and coverage offered to prepaid wireless customers. For instance, certain prepaid wireless providers may block messages destined to any mobile device currently operating on an international network. Moreover, a prepaid subscriber may not have the ability to roam. Yet, limiting the scope of provided services may additionally limit the quantity of interested consumers, likewise resulting in a decrease of revenue for wireless service providers.